Dumbass!
by NoMereMortal
Summary: Ch 1:Lanie's perspective during A Deadly Game and post - ep. Ch 2: Castle gets a clue! Ch 3: Headed Home. Ch 4: Do-over!
1. Chapter 1

6/5/10: Just fixed a few mistakes. No real change in the story.

I am a Lurker. There, I said it.

Or I guess I was until I wrote that. Hmm.

I have never written any fiction or participated in any online community. I'm not even on Facebook. (Gasp! - a Refusnik!) Something about Castle, and especially the last episode has inspired me (or more accurately annoyed me enough, I think) to write. I have no right to ask for reviews, as I have admittedly never left one myself, although I do promise to remedy that. I would be grateful for constructive criticism if anyone would care to leave any. But let it be said that I totally get it if you dont ;-)

I tried to come up with a better title. You know, maybe something a bit more "Literary". Or at least one that wasn't borderline vulgar. But in the end, it was either Damn or Dumbass, and I just liked Dumbass better... kind of rolls off the tongue, no? Anyway, I couldn't let Lanie sit back and do nothing while her bestest girlfriend took a shot like she did in the finale. I just dont think our Lanie would take that lying down. I don't know exactly where this wilk go or how long the story might be, just that it will continue until all is right in my Castle Universe. Unless you all throw virtual rotten tomatoes...in which case it'll end right here and I'll slink back to lurking in the shadows of the internet!

I don't own Castle...If I did, I'd be out in the Hamptons right now, with my toes in the sand, and Nathan Fillion refilling my drink. (Stana who?)

DUMBASS!

Lanie still could not believe it. She shook her head slowly in frustration after she unabashedly slurped the last of her Margarita through her straw while ignoring the looks she received from the patrons in the next booth. She waited rather impatiently for a new round to be delivered with the return of Kate Beckett from the ladies room. Her mind went round and round again as she replayed this whole messed up night for the umpteenth time in the last 3 hours. How had things gotten so screwed up? Why couldn't Kate catch just a little break? If anyone deserved a chance at happiness, it was Kate. She'd been through so much in her life!

Lanie was president of the Castle / Beckett fan club from the get-go, and was therefore not exactly making a secret of the fact that she was not exactly supportive of The Beckett / Demming Debacle, or just The Demming Debacle as she had referred to it, much to Kate's annoyance. She knew Castle and Kate had feelings for each other that went way beyond partnership, but wasn't sure that her friends knew it, despite her frequent and not so subtle hinting. How two such incredibly smart people could be so incredibly dopey still amazed her. But she'd hoped maybe Demming's appearance would light a fire under her friends. Make something, anything happen for pity's sake! She thought maybe he'd be the tipping point. Break the oh so incredibly booorring stalemate that had developed between those two blind fools. Truth be told, Lanie had been excited to see things starting to come to a head a few weeks ago. She'd been ecstatic to see Castle looking positively green when he had noticed Kate and Demming looking all cozy while they chatted in the break room. From then on, she'd watched with interest, wondering how Writer Boy would take it once he realized that Kate was getting more serious with Demming. Would he shit, or get off the proverbial pot? Ugh...She sighed, shaking her head again as she sat back in the booth and tossed her poor twisted up straw onto the table. It looked like she had her damn answer. He got off the damn pot in a hurry, and walked away with another damn Twinkie! Damn Castle! What a dumbass! And where the hell was Kate with those damn Margaritas?

Damn...The evening had started out so well...so...hmm.. what word would Castle use? Promising? Hopeful? Yes, she thought, with a slow nod, dialing her emotions down a notch, that was a perfect word. There had been so much hope, so much anticipation just on her own part for both of her friends to get together, and she could just imagine that that feeling had been multiplied exponentially in her best girl. Kate had told her how she had finally kicked Captain America to the curb (her words, not Kate's) after that little conversation with Espo. He made her see that Castle wasn't about to sit idly by while she ran off with another guy. She not only realized how she felt about Castle, but she admitted it to Lanie AND was going to TELL HIM! Shut the front door! Lanie had been unable to get any work done whatsoever after that little bombshell had been dropped in her morgue! Honestly, she was surprised Kate had admitted her feelings at all. Lanie thought for sure, it would be Castle to put his heart on the line and make the first move. Risk it all and tell Kate (or maybe show Kate, she thought with a little smile) what was what. Of the two, she thought him to be much braver emotionally. That childlike ability to always find the fun in life seemed to have come with a childlike ability to care about others with abandon. She saw it in the way he treated not just his family and friends but people on the periphery of his life as well. He genuinely cared about people and wasn't afraid to let them know it. Kate was much more guarded, but out of self preservation. The tall, thick walls that Kate had erected protected a huge soft heart that not many were privileged to see, let alone get anywhere near. Castle had walked through those walls as if they didn't exist, and was smack dab on the inside. And was completely clueless. Dumbass!..."Damn!" she actually said out loud and earned a few stares, as she started in on the remnants of Kate's Margarita. She wondered if perhaps there was a plumbing problem in the damn ladies room...

That night after work Kate had joined their little get together at the precinct late and Lanie could tell she was nervous but excited about the prospect of talking to Castle about her recent breakup with Demming and all that that might entail for Beckett/ Castle. Lanie had to hand it to her. She had been impressed. She had worried that Kate would chicken out, or at least drag her feet. But not her girl! Nuh uh! She had walked in and wasted no time asking Castle to follow her outside of the conference room so they could talk. Damn girl! Lanie had thought, You go! Lanie thought she was more excited than Kate! Finally these two were going to get their heads out of their butts and realize what everyone else in the precinct had seen since this little 'partnership' had started. In the end, even poor Demming had known it. And so the two of them left the room, and the rest of the partiers had become silent, sharing goofy grins over what they knew was finally about to happen between their two friends. Lanie had a death grip on Espos upper arm as they collectively held their breath, waiting for the moment when it would finally, blessedly be obvious that the two fools had figured it out! Lanie tried to read lips and interpret body language. Montgomery shushed Espo and Ryan as they whispered loudly about some bet and who owed who. It all seemed to be going swimmingly! Beckett was serious, but still standing there, and still talking...ok good. And Castle was smiling and nodding...good, good...And then it freaking happened!...

Or, perhaps to be more accurate, SHE freaking happened!...the damn Twinkie walked in and months, MONTHS of careful plotting, planning prodding eavesdropping and hinting were out the damn window! Kate's face fell. Castles still had a stupid smile on it. More words back and forth. Twinkie grabbed Castles arm. Castle reached out and SHOOK KATES HAND!... WHAT? Oh no he didn't! Next thing Lanie knew, damn Castle was walking away arm in arm with the damn Twinkie.

In the conference room, silent anticipation turned to silent shock. Surely he would turn around, walk back to Kate... Damnit Castle, turn around and walk back to Kate!

Kate's face was now unreadable. Lanie could see the walls were firmly back in place, emotions on lockdown. As they approached the elevator, Kate turned away and walked toward her desk. Without a word, Lanie had walked from the conference room over to Kate, grabbed both of their purses from Kate's desk, and simply said, "Lets go girlfriend". Kate seemed too numb to do anything but follow.

And so here they were, 3 hours later, and 4 (or was it 5?) Margaritas deep. Large Margaritas. Damn Castle... Holy hell they were right there! On the precipice for Pete's sake! Leave it to Writer Boy to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory! "AARGH! Castle, you are such a dumbass!" Whoops!..Must've been her out-loud voice again. The people in the next booth just shot her a very wary look. "Great" she thought.."drinking other peoples backwash AND talking to myself. Mom would be so proud.." Finally, she spotted Kate at the bar, trying with little success to capture the attention of the bartender. Really? Seriously? This was the final straw! Good Lord! If anyone in DAMN UNIVERSE needed a drink surely it was Kate Freaking Beckett! This just wasn't fair!

Lanie had had enough! Enough with the injustice! Enough with the Universe messing with her girl! She had to do something, anything to help her best friend! Kate Beckett spent her life righting wrongs, and dagnabbit, it was about time someone righted a wrong for Kate! Lanie thought as she pounded her fist on the table, causing silverware and glasses to clank loudly, and the people at the next table to quietly sneak away studiously avoiding looking in her direction. But how? How to right this wrong? She took a deep breath, and set about finding the solution.

Lanie HAD to find a way to fix this. She WOULD fix this. She would.

Its amazing the inspiration one can find in tequila. Or, more accurately in her case she thought, in the desire for more tequila. With a clarity borne only in a glass, in that moment she knew what she had to do. She would lay it all on the line for Kate Freaking Beckett. She would break the Cardinal Rule. She would spit in the eye of the Prime Directive. She, Dr. Lanie Parish, New York City Medical Examiner Extraordinaire… would text while drunk. With that bit of brilliance, she picked up her phone and sealed her fate as she thumbed out her message and hit Send: "Castle, U R A DUMBASS!".


	2. Chapter 2

Dumbass! Chapter 2

It had taken them nearly 4 hours to get to Rick's place in the Hamptons. Four hours in bumper to bumper traffic in his little Porsche, with nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. He would estimate that three of them had been spent arguing. Even her constant droning wasn't enough to take his mind off what.. and who.. he was leaving behind in the city. What in God's name had he been thinking when he asked Gina to spend the entire summer with him? He wasn't sure how he would get through the weekend!

As they pulled up in front of the house Gina got out in a huff and tromped up to the front door. "Don't worry, I've got the bags" Rick said to himself, but apparently loud enough to earn him another sourpuss from Gin-ex (he'd just made that up an hour ago – thought it would remind him in the future that she was his ex for a reason) as she waited for him on the front porch to open the door.

As he opened the door she went straight upstairs without further comment. He noted that she turned left at the top of the stairs, away from the master bedroom. Good. They were on the same page there. That would make things a bit less awkward, he thought as he made his way into the living room to open the patio doors and pour himself a drink. He'd just gotten settled in his old rocking chair and was only 2 or 3 sips into his favorite wine when his cell chirped. He pulled it from his pocket and noted that the text was from Lanie. He had a second of panic before he read it, thinking something was wrong since he never really heard from her outside of work. "Castle u r a dumbass!" What the hell? Yes, he was feeling like a dumbass right now because of the whole Gin-ex thing, but Lanie couldn't know that. The spy game case had been closed. At least he thought it was. Maybe they had overlooked something? "What r u talking about?" he replied.

"Kate" came the response.

Kate? He thought…no clue. "Again – what r u talking about?" he sent back.

"u really blew it writerboy! She dumped captain America for u & u traipse off with Twinkie #2!"

His head spun around. He was sure it had. 360 degrees. The bottom dropped out of his stomach and he felt like maybe he needed to lie flat for a second. He re-read it 3 times. She dumped Schlemming? FOR HIM? Oh. My. God! When?

"OMG! When?" he typed.

"Today Dumbass! What do u think she was trying to tell u?"

"trying to tell me when? R u sure about this?"

"yes I'm sure! I was there! At the party!"

Yep, he was gonna pass out. THAT is what she was going to tell him when Gin-ex walked in? AND HE WALKED OUT ON HER? AND.. he walked out on her….with HER? He was going to throw up and THEN pass out!

He couldn't type fast enough. He had to call Lanie. He had to hear it from her directly.

She let it go to voicemail the first time he called just to torture him. Hah!

He texted again. "LANIE PICK UP!"

This time she did. But she waited til the 3rd ring.

"Hellooooo, Dumbass!" she said.

"Lanie, in the name of all that is holy and good, tell me what the HELL happened!"

"That's quite a mixture of metaphors there, Writerboy." He picked up on the loud background noise and the slight slur in her speech and assumed she was at a bar.

"LANIE! Tell me!"

"Don't you get snippy with me boy! I told your sorry ass already. She broke up with Demming because she realized it would cost her you. She finally realized you are more than just a friend to her. She was tryin' to tell your sorry ass that when your Twinkie arrived, and, well, the rest is history…Dumbass!"

"Oh my God…"

"Yeah, you better pray Castle! What is wrong with you boy? Couldn't you tell that girl had something earth shattering to say to you? And we all encouraged her! How do you think that makes us feel? You let all of us down Castle…not just Kate. "

"What do mean you all encouraged her? I let you all down?" he asked quietly.

"We told her that's why you were leaving! That's what we all believed anyway…That you couldn't be around while she got into it with another guy. We told her you cared about her! And you know her, Castle. You know what it took for her to make that leap. Not just to dump Demming, but to be willing to lay it all out there on the line for you…. And you wouldn't listen! You walked away. You broke her heart tonight, Rick. She may never admit it, but you did. God only knows what type of damage you did to that girl. You _know_ how she is! What the hell were you thinking?"

"Oh my God Lanie, I had no idea! I swear! She told me she was going away with him - that they were '_together_'! That really _is_ why I left! You were right! You were all right! I…" he sighed…."Wow…I really screwed this up….Where is she? How is she? I hafta find a way to fix this.. Is she ok? Where is she?"

"Stop rambling. She's out with me. She's getting us another round at the moment. She'd probably shoot me if she knew I was talking to you but I don't care anymore. She's my best friend and I wanna see her happy, even if I have to dodge a hail of bullets. So you're right, you do need to fix this Writerboy, and so help me, God as my witness, if you don't make this right, I will kill you myself and no one…" her voice became a whisper, "no one will ever find your body. You got me, Dumbass? I'm the damn M.E.!" Suddenly she was glad she had already scared the people in the next booth away. It wasn't often she threatened to murder someone and she didn't like to have witnesses around when she did.

"Do you think I can? Fix it, I mean?"

"I sure in hell hope so Castle."

"OK. I'm leaving here now. Its late so if I don't hit traffic I'll be at her place in about 2 hours. Maybe less. Are you guys OK? Can you both make it home ok? Because I can call a car service if you…."

"Castle! We're fine! Of course we can get home ok. Us regular folk take cabs when we're snockered and we don't need no stinkin' limos at our beck and call in order to survive! I'll make sure we call it a night after this round, and I'll make sure she gets home safe. Now you make sure you drive carefully. Please don't make this into some kinda Shakespearean tragedy by crashin' your damned fancy race car on your way back here!" She paused a second, blew out an exasperated sigh…." And please….my brother…..make this right! It's your turn to be the brave one! Don't back down. Don't let her push you away. She'll try, but you'll know better. Stick it out! Fight for her!….Promise me."

"I promise."

"Alright then. Get a move on. And I expect a call from the two of you tomorrow. After you've gotten up..You know, in the afternoon. You got it?"

"I got it. And thanks… Really… You saved me."

"Go Castle. Just go."

TBC…

A/N: As I was trying to write Castles side of things here I realized that even though I had always intended this story to bring him back to the city right away, I would really like to see him in the Hamptons for a bit. So look for that story when this one finishes writing itself. I'm thinking the next chapter is it, and yes, Kate will actually make an appearance. Hope I can do her justice. Comments? Criticism? Concerns? Confessions?


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: First, thanks to everyone who left a review or fav'ed / alerted this story or me. It really does give one motivation to continue! There will be one more chapter after this. I thought I could wrap it up in just 3 but its way too long, so I broke it up. The last one is just about finished too. I was having a hard time with this, so I stopped reading all Castle fic associated with the last episode because I was afraid it would influence me. I hope my ideas aren't too similar to anyone else's. Lastly, Sorry this is taking so long. The first chapters literally wrote themselves, but Lanies not here to help our dynamic duo now so they have to figure it out for themselves, and as you know, they're a little slow on the uptake.

Chapter 3

He'd left within about 10 minutes of hanging up with Lanie. He had to deal with Gin-ex first. He hadn't given her much of an explanation, just that something had come up, and he had to get back. Tonight. Now. He'd thought she might be happy, or at least relieved, given how the trip out there was an unmitigated disaster for them personally. She wasn't. Not happy. Not relieved. She was pissed. Or least she'd pretended to be – God she just loved to poke at him!

"Leaving! We just walked in the door! What do mean leaving? Richard Castle you have a book to finish! The whole point in coming out here was to get _away_ from all the distractions at home and get some actual work done! Do you remember _work_? _Real_ work? The work you get _paid_ to do? What the hell's wrong with you?"

Holy hell! How did she get her voice to do that awful high pitched screeching thing? He'd almost forgotten about that. Hadn't heard it since before their divorce. He was sure all the dogs within a mile must be howling. He was rather surprised to find his own ears weren't bleeding.

Oh yeah, now he remembered – that was reason number 565 why they'd gotten divorced.

She was still staring at him, actually waiting for an answer. Apparently those were not rhetorical questions. He stared back.

For just a brief moment he was lost in a fantasy about murdering her right where she stood. Yes, he thought. He could do it. He'd learned a lot in his time at the 12th as a part of the best homicide team in the city, and he was pretty sure he could do the deed _and_ get away with it. He could make it look like an accident. In real life, simple lies were the most believable. "I swear officer, she fell and hit her head. Must've been some water on the floor or something. Tragic…. Just tragic…" He could even cry a little... That'd work, right?

Even if he screwed it up, he thought Lanie would probably back him upon the forensics.

Yep.

Pretty sure she would….

Alas, he thought with a sigh, he had more important work tonight. He would allow her to live. He shook his head, took a deep breath, and focused again.

He'd told her quietly, but in no uncertain terms, that he was in no mood for her shit tonight. He had neither the time nor the energy to fight with her. He needed to go. She knew him well enough to know when he had been pushed to his limit, and although she'd tried baiting him a couple more times, she seemed to recognize that he was done. She'd asked when or if he was planning to return and he'd told her he would not be back. At least not while she was there, although he'd held his tongue and hadn't said that part out loud – he still wanted to maintain a professional relationship with her. But, no matter how things played out with Kate, he knew Gin-ex was a mistake he'd already made once and had no intention of repeating.

Before walking out the door he'd assured her that he would get his professional act together. He promised he would stop working cases until the book was complete and in her hands. A week at the most, he'd said. She'd stood at the door as he was leaving. "Richard, do you realize how important this is? I hope you know what's at stake here. I hope you know what you're doing. If you screw this up the consequences will be awfully high." "I know Gina, I know" he'd answered as he got in the car. He knew she'd been talking about his book, but he was thinking how well those words applied to something, well, some_one_…..else.

It was raining, but he was making decent time. The Eastbound traffic was still pretty heavy even at this late hour, with everyone headed out of town for the holiday weekend, but Westbound, the traffic heading back into the city, was moving right along. He was tired and basically just running on adrenaline. He'd been up early and had spent a full day finishing the spy game case, then had driven down to Princeton, back to the city, out to the Hamptons, and now back to the city. He estimated by the time he arrived tonight he would've spent about 9 hours driving. He let out a sigh. As much as he just wanted to get there, just wanted to see her, he had to wonder if maybe he was walking into the lion's den.

He wasn't sure what her state of mind would be and he had no idea what he would say when he got there. For all he knew she might slam the door in his face. According to Lanie's last text, Kate had gotten home about an hour ago. He was assuming that she had had as much to drink as Lanie, and was probably a little "snockered" too, as Lanie had put it. He'd had second thoughts about talking to her tonight, with a little too much alcohol on board, but in the end he decided that it might help things along. "In vino veritas" he thought – in wine there is truth. He was gambling that if he spoke to her tonight, he might have an easier time bridging the emotional walls he was sure he would encounter. On the other hand, it could completely backfire and blow up in his face. And of course, there was always the chance he'd run into Nikki Heat tonight instead of Kate Beckett, and _she_ just might shoot him!

So here he was, walking the 4 blocks to Kate's place from the parking garage. He'd been unable to find parking on the street anywhere near her place. It was pouring now, and he was thoroughly soaked. He walked up to Kate's building and couldn't believe his luck when he was able to run in the door behind another tenant as he unlocked it and dashed in out of the rain. The guy never even looked back at him. It had saved him from having to buzz Kate and convince her over the intercom to let him up, but he had to remember to talk to her about moving to a doorman building.

His stomach was again in knots as he rode up in the elevator, pulling at his dripping wet clothes. Writer boy still had no idea what he was going to say. He'd be winging it. If she'd talk to him.

He knocked and waited.

TBC

A/N: Don't hate me for ending it here. It was the only place that made sense. Really!

By the way when I keep saying that Castle has no idea what he's gonna say to her, that's because I had no idea either. I had even less of an idea about what Kate was gonna say. That's what has been taking me so long. Trying to get those two to talk to each other is like pulling teeth! But, we're all muddling through, and chapter 4 will be ready in a jiffy.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Last chapter! Thanks for sticking with me, and thanks again for the reviews and the favs/alerts. The feedback has been really supportive and I appreciate it, especially since this is my first foray into writing fiction. It's a bit long, but, well, they had a lot to work out. Of all the chapters I am least confident in this one (I wish Lanie was around!) so I'd appreciate your thoughts.

Chapter 4

She'd just dropped off to sleep when she heard the knocking. She couldn't imagine who it could be at this time of night. She threw a sweatshirt on over her shorts and oversized t shirt and grabbed her Glock as the knocking came again. She gave brief consideration to the fact that she'd had a few drinks tonight, but decided she wasn't willing to risk getting shot over it. In her world, good news never came knocking at 2 a.m.

She turned on the lamp as she padded into the living room but kept her distance from the door and remained out of the line of potential fire.

Castle saw the light from his side of the peephole and heard her voice from deep in the room. "Who is it?" she called quietly.

"Beckett, it's me. Castle."

She was more than a little surprised to hear his voice. Now she was sure something must be wrong.

She dropped her gun on the table and he heard the locks turning. Here we go, he thought. God he was nervous.

"Castle? What are you doing here? It's after 2! What's wrong? Is everything ok?"

"Yeah, yeah I uh ..." Wow very articulate Writerboy, he thought with a wince as he checked out his shoes.

He looked up at her and blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"I want a do-over."

"A what?... Get in here before you wake up the neighbors." She grabbed his hand to tug him in from the hallway. "Jeez Castle you're freezing! And you're soaked! What'd you swim here?"

"Yeah pretty much. I had to walk from the garage a few blocks up." A rumble of thunder punctuated his statement. The storm was still in full swing outside.

She left him dripping in her entryway as she disappeared from the living room and spoke over her shoulder. "I'll grab you a towel. You look like a drowned rat." She couldn't help thinking that she could help him out of those wet clothes and warm him up a bit…. Ugh! Bad! Bad thoughts! Damn tequila.

She walked back in and tossed him the towel. She was still sure this middle of the night visit meant bad news."So? What's going on Castle? Aren't you supposed to be in the Hamptons?" She crossed her arms and waited as he tried to dry off.

"I was...I came back." He seemed upset. Or maybe nervous. Definitely too serious.

"Is Alexis ok? Your mother?...Gina?" Ugh. It was an effort not to make a face as she said her name.

"Alexis and my mother are fine, as far as I know. Gina is"….alive but only just barely, he thought to himself with a half smile. "Fine too I guess," was what he said out loud.

All Kate needed to see was that little half smirk as he'd mentioned Gina and her heart sank like a stone. Like she needed this? The whole point in going out tonight with Lanie was to vent so she could start to feel better. But now here he was pouring salt in the wound. Between the adrenaline that came with waking up to someone knocking at 2 a.m. and the not so subtle reminder of the fact that he was back with his ex-wife, she most definitely was _not_ feeling better. She was overtired, a little drunk, annoyed at him, annoyed at herself, and had already admitted (to herself, at least) that she was hurting. Badly. When and how had she let things get this far?

She turned away and paced the few steps toward the window, but he'd already seen her face darken immediately as he'd finished his last sentence, even though he wasn't sure why.

In vino veritas. At least he hoped, even if it meant getting his head lopped off.

She was staring out at the storm, and took a second to dial back her emotions and gather her thoughts before she spoke. Why couldn't he have waited til the morning, when she'd had a few hours of sleep and was completely sober? She was sure she could've handled seeing him better then, in the cold light of day with a large amount of caffeine and a leather jacket. Now she had a thunderstorm in the middle of the night, no sleep, 4 Margaritas and her PJs. And a cold wet Castle that she really just wanted to…Stop! Bad! Do not go there!

This _was_ bad. Her emotions were on edge and she would have to tread carefully. She needed him gone before she embarrassed herself. She spoke without turning around. "Look, Castle," she said with a sigh, "it's the middle of the night and I'm in no mood for your games. What exactly do you want?"

He heard the edge in her voice and remembered Lanies words earlier about her pushing him away. Time to push back a little.

He walked over so he was just a step behind her and repeated what he'd said before.

"I want a do-over Kate."

She noticed the use of her first name. "You want a what?"

"A do-over. Of our conversation earlier tonight… At the precinct. When Gina came in."

She didn't say anything at first and he couldn't see her face, so he had no idea what she was thinking.

"You know what a do-over is, right, Kate? It's when.."

"Yes, Castle, I know what a do-over is." He couldn't see the eye roll but he heard it.

"You were trying to tell me something when she interrupted us, and I'd…"

She spun around and interrupted him again. "Let me get this straight. It didn't occur to you that I was trying to tell you something until you'd driven however many hours in traffic all the way out to the Eastern end of Long Island? Then you turned around and drove back, what, at least 2 more hours? In a torrential downpour? Back into the city, to hear the rest of it? To get a do-over?"

He could feel a head lopping coming on. But this was good. She was pissed but she was beginning to open up. He was thinking he should up the ante a bit, but soon found this game was not entirely in his control.

"Yes, Kate. I did. I wanted…"

"Wait a second….wait a second….what exactly caused this epiphany? What was it that made you realize all the way out _there_, that you wanted to come all the way back _here_ and hear what I was trying to say?"

She saw his eyes widen, just slightly. Bam! Gotcha!

She leaned forward and was almost nose to nose. "Who called you?" she asked in almost a whisper.

He shivered slightly then and it had nothing to do with his wet clothes. Nikki Heat was in the house!

He was glad her gun was on the other side of the room. "Ummm, called me?" Oh boy. He couldn't give up Lanie as his source! He hadn't considered this.

"Someone did. Who was it? Lanie? Esposito? I'm pretty sure it wasn't Ryan – he's too afraid of me. So who was it?" She pinned him with those green eyes, and for a second he thought about being really super brave and just leaning in and kissing the daylights out of her without another word, but then thought about Alexis as an orphan. Or having to live with her mother. Same thing.

"No one called me." Well…technically, Lanie hadn't. Called him, that is. She'd texted. Then _he'd_ called _her_. He kept his best poker face and hoped she'd buy it.

She didn't, but she'd let it go for now. "I don't believe you, but it doesn't really matter right now." She'd get it out of him at some point. And then she'd shoot whoever it was that opened their big fat mouth.

"So why the sudden urgency to hear the rest of my story? Why drive back in the middle of the night?"

"I discovered that I was acting on false information….and I'd like make things right."

"And how did you make this discovery? Your source told you?"

Ooh. He couldn't wiggle out of that one on a technicality, but he'd try."What source would that be?" he said, and tried to portray an air of innocence.

She was having none of it.

She turned back to the window. He really did have an inside source. Someone _did_ open their mouth. Damn. She wondered exactly what he knew.

He was sure he was hitting close to home now and could feel her struggling to get the walls back up. It was now or never.

"But actually, I'm not asking to hear the rest of the conversation."

He continued on when she didn't answer. "I'm asking for a do-over. That's different. A do-over is when…"

"Castle! I told you – I know what a do-over is!"

"I don't think so Kate. Please allow me to explain…." He felt another eye roll. "Technically, a do-over means you start over at the very beginning..."

"Duh, Castle.."

"SHHHH! Kate! Would you stop interrupting and just _listen_ already? Sheesh!"

"I can't believe you just shushed me…"

"ANYWAY! ….As I was saying…..A do-over means you go back to the beginning. You don't just pick up at the point where the mistake was made. It's not a _continuation_ of a previous event at all. A do-over, by its very nature, _nullifies_ the previous event. Cancels it out completely and in its entirety. As if it never happened." He stopped talking. She was silent for a moment.

"Are you finished?"

"Yes."

"I can speak now?"

"Yes."

"Thank you. _So_ much. She said over her shoulder… "So you're asking me…what, exactly?"

He stepped forward and put his hands on her shoulders, and felt her stiffen slightly. "Kate….I'm asking you to forget everything that happened between us today outside of the case. I'm asking you to nullify it all. As if none of it ever happened….And then start over, from the beginning, and tell me everything you wanted to say before I left. I'm asking you to give me a second chance. I want to hear what you were trying to say. _So_ very much Kate…."

She wasn't sure she could do this.

"I broke up with Tom. But you know that already."

"Yes, but I didn't then."

She was thinking, trying to work out what he knew and how much risk she could afford to take. After how things had gone today she wasn't really up for another pummeling.

She'd been quiet for a bit, and he didn't think she was going to continue. He realized he might have to make the leap first. It was only fair. She'd tried and gotten burned. By him….Damn. He took a deep breath and started.

"Look, Kate….I ….I always thought we were working towards something….Something more than just friends or partners. When Tom came along, I thought…I guess I thought you'd blow him off like FBI guy. But, when he started hanging around more and more, I guess it was then that I realized how important this is to me, and at the same time that maybe I'd lost my chance. If I'd ever even had one. Maybe you were looking for something…safer…than a relationship with someone like me. And then when you told me you and Tom were… "_together_"…and you were going away with him…Well, as much as I love working at the 12th, I …. I didn't want to be around for that…... I _couldn't_ be around for that… I knew it was time for me to get out of there before I made a bigger jerk out of myself. I'd been thinking about it for a few a days, but that news sealed the deal for me."

"And Gina?"

He sighed deeply and dropped his hands. "I guess I have to plead temporary insanity there."

She turned to face him.

"Why's that?"

"Oh God, that car ride was the most painful 4 hours of my life!" She smiled a little at the sour look on his face. "I think we both knew about an hour into it that we'd gotten divorced for some really, really good reasons. For example, we can't be alone together in a small space for more than, say, 15 minutes. Or, maybe ever." They both smiled, then, after a moment she saw his serious side again.

"I was pretty upset about leaving here"…he looked away and swallowed... "about leaving you….and I guess I was just trying to find someone so I wouldn't have to be all alone out in the Hamptons, and she was convenient. And willing. But it was clearly a mistake. She's still my publisher but that's all it'll ever be."

She turned back around to the window and he wasn't sure what to make of that.

"I never knew you were interested. Well, interested in more than just another conquest," she said.

"In the beginning I just wanted to sleep with you. You knew that. But that was just the very beginning. By the end of our second case I had a feeling it could be more."

"But you never said anything. You just continued with the wisecracks and innuendos - basically hitting on me, and just about anything else that walked by with a uterus, every day. How was I supposed to know you wanted more than that? You never told me!"

He reached for her arm and gently turned her back around.

"I did…. I tried. Every time I brought you coffee. When I stayed late with you while you did paperwork. When I let you beat me at poker. When I stayed at your place when that serial killer was after you. When I made you stay at mine after your place blew up…" He stepped closer and let his thumb brush along her cheek, barely touching her but still burning a line across her skin. He continued in nearly a whisper. "When I decided to write a series of books based on you...When I poked my nose into your mother's case...Every time I pulled your pigtails…. I was trying to tell you."

She'd missed it. She'd spent all this time with him, and the great detective had missed every sign he'd thrown her. She'd never taken him seriously. She shook her head slightly and smiled ruefully. Well, no more. Finally they were on the same page and she wasn't going to waste another minute.

She placed her hand on his cheek, and looked him in the eye. Then she leaned in and captured his mouth with hers. His eyes went wide with surprise at first, then he caught on and started kissing her back. They went back and forth slowly at first, then Kate raised the stakes and brought her hands up to run her fingers through his hair at the nape of his neck while he increased the pressure of the kiss. She stepped closer bringing the rest of their bodies into full contact as he placed his hands on her hips. She shivered slightly as his tongue skimmed her lower lip, and she took up the chase with her own. Synapses sizzled and fried in his brain as she moaned with that new contact, and he groaned as the kiss deepened further.

The need for oxygen broke them apart eventually but he started kissing down the side of her neck and skimming his hands up her back. When he felt her hand at the top of his chest undoing the buttons of his shirt, alarm bells started ringing in his head. He picked his head up to look at her as he captured her face with both hands. "Kate….." God she was beautiful. Eyes dark with passion and lids at half mast, lips swollen from kissing him. Kissing _him_! Woo hoo! Kate Beckett looked like _that_ after kissing _him_! With a smile he leaned in for another quick kiss before he continued. "Kate….we need to slow this down."

Kate was far from firing on all cylinders at this point. "Ok," was all she managed before diving back into the kiss and going back to work on his shirt. Why'd he have to wear something with so many damn buttons anyway?

This kiss was absolutely explosive and he had to hold himself in check as her warm tongue invaded his mouth. He'd never wanted to touch someone so badly in his entire life but he knew they had to move slowly. So he forced himself to keep his hands still and concentrated fully on the task at hand, as she was finding every way possible to drive him crazy with her mouth. Her hand on his skin inside his shirt was like electricity. He felt it to his toes, and when her lips followed her hand he was nearly lost, but he realized he had to put the brakes on, and soon. Again he took her face in his hands and brought it back to his own. "Kate…your killing me. We have to stop. This just might be the death of me, but we have to stop."

"Castle, say another word and it _will_ be the death of you," she answered as she went back to the task of discovering what was under that shirt.

"Kate we can't…." Why couldn't they again? Oh yeah… "You've been drinking. We can't." He couldn't string more than 3 words together when she was doing that to him!

"Does it seem to you as if I'm not aware of what I'm doing?" She said as her lips continued to blaze a trail across his chest. "As if I'm not in control of my actions?" With this her lips found his left nipple.

"Oh God no!" he groaned, and put his hand behind her head, threading his fingers through her hair. When her hand went to his belt buckle and she started to pull him toward her bedroom, he knew he was at the point of no return. He grabbed both her hands in his and kissed her forehead. "Please…wait a second. Just listen a second…." He stepped back so their bodies were no longer in contact but he held her hands tight. He needed a deep breath to continue. "I almost lost you tonight. We almost lost each other. We have a second chance to make this work and we can't screw this up. You gave me a do-over. I can't screw it up."

She took a deep breath and for a second he thought he _had_ screwed it up. "No pun intended, right?" She said with a grin.

He laughed out loud and wrapped her up in a bear hug. "I just don't want you to have regrets Kate. I want to do this right. This isn't just about jumping into bed with you. Well, at least it isn't just about jumping into bed with you _anymore_."

"For me right now it is _all about_ jumping into bed with you, Rick."

He smiled. "Well, I can see that once again I have to be the mature one in this relationship."

A sigh and an eye roll.

"By the way I'm soaking wet now thank you very much," she told him.

He stared at her with his mouth hanging open. Then closed his eyes. "You really need to stop teasing me."

"I mean because your clothes are all wet! God Castle what happened to being the mature one! That lasted all of 3 seconds! Get your mind out of the gutter!" she said as she smacked his arm. They both laughed until they were crying.

" I'll find some dry sweats for you. Do you want to use my shower?"

"As long as there's plenty of cold water," he said with a pout.

"Hey, this was your idea, Mr. Maturity. My game plan had nothing to do with cold water or solitary showers." Again she skimmed her hand over the bare skin of his chest.

"Oh my God stop! Just stop!" He fisted his hands in his hair. "Can't you see this is killing me! My head is gonna explode if you keep this up!"

He got another evil grin from her and just as she was opening her mouth to respond he realized what he'd said.

"No! Don't do it! Don't say it! My God woman, have you no mercy? I, Richard Castle, am trying to 'do the right thing' for once in my life and you're thwarting me at every turn! What is wrong with you?...Where's that shower?" He practically ran to the bathroom.

She was still laughing a few minutes later as she cracked the bathroom door. "Rick?"

"Kate, I swear, there is a limit to how much I can take. You in my shower, at any temperature, is well beyond it."

"Relax! I was just going to tell you I found you some clothes. I'm leaving them on the floor." She couldn't resist teasing him again. After all when would she ever be in this position again? She had a hard time keeping a straight face while she said it: "But listen, if you need any help in there, you know like adjusting the temperature….or anything…..I'll be happy to..you know.. give you a hand."

"OUT!" GET OUT!"

She closed the door after scooping up his wet clothes and laughed until her stomach hurt.

Mmm, mmm! The thought of him naked in her shower…. Damn, he was right. Wouldn't matter what the water temperature was!

He emerged a little while later in an NYPD sweatshirt and mesh athletic shorts. She smiled as she handed him a cup of hot chocolate. She noticed he was very careful not to touch her hand as he took it. "I put your wet clothes in the dryer." She considered teasing him about seeing his underwear but decided to give him a break. At least for now.

"Thanks." He looked at her a second. "And thanks for not saying it."

"Not saying what?"

He smiled as he took a sip."Whatever that evil thought was that just crossed your mind."

She laughed. "You're welcome." They both were lost in thought for a minute as they drank from their mugs.

"Kate, you understand why I want to wait, don't you? It's just that this is too important to me to risk it…for you to have regrets or for us to go too fast. I want to do this the right way. Take you out on dates first. Make you dinner, take you dancing…Romance you a little," he smiled.

"Dates? Plural? How many dates?" she asked with a frown.

"Well, you don't think I'm just gonna put out on the first date do you?" he tried to seem offended but he couldn't help laughing a little.

"Well we haven't even been on one date yet and you let me get to second base, so…." she never got to finish as he was roaring with laughter.

A minute later he was still drying his eyes on the sleeve of his sweatshirt. She quietly said, "thank you".

"For what?"

"For coming back. For being brave enough to save us tonight. For looking out for us. For trying to do the right thing. Despite my best efforts." They both smiled. "What happened between us isn't entirely your fault, I share the blame equally. We both made mistakes. But you drove all the way back in the middle of the night, in a thunderstorm, and you made it right. You stepped up Castle, and you made it right…..And just for the record, I would never regret it." She smiled and squeezed his hand.

"I would so like to hug you right now, but you have to promise you'll let me go."

She stepped forward and put her hand to his cheek as she looked up at him, suddenly quiet. "I can't promise that's ever gonna happen."

He wrapped her up in his arms and kissed her again. "My extraordinary KB," he whispered. They both held tight for a good while.

She caught a glimpse over his shoulder of the clock on the wall. "Its way after 3. We should get some sleep." She laid her head on his shoulder. "Good thing we're off this weekend."

"Ugh. It's still pouring out." He'd just gotten dry. "Can I sleep on your couch?"

"No."

"C'mon Kate, its pouring, my car is blocks away, and it's the middle of the night!" he gave her his best sad puppy eyes.

"No way are you sleeping on my couch."

She backed out of his embrace, grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the bedroom with a smile.

"Kaaaaate!" He whined.

"Relax, your virtue is safe with me."

He looked doubtful.

"I promise, it'll be fine! Just come with me."

"Said the spider to the fly."

She smiled as she led him into the room and began turning down the bed.

"God sent you just to test me, didn't He?"

"Oh Kitten… you have no idea…..you _really_ have no idea."

End.

A/N: Yay! I can start reading fanfic again! I hope my characterizations of these two were at least close. In the end it just didnt seem to me like this would be a knock down drag out between them - they both messed up and both needed to own up to it. They both have a lot of baggaage so I wanted them to hide behind the familiar banter, but still find a way to say what they needed to say. I hope its still in character, even though I have Castle being the "mature" one - I couldnt resist turning the tables on him. Anyway thanks for playing! And thanks to the real Castle people - writers, cast, crew etc. for giving us a great show, and a reason to look forward to Mondays.


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